


Shuttle Troubles

by Estirose



Category: Earth: Final Conflict, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 14:03:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5629153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/Estirose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a shuttle pilot, Liam Kincaid, lands in Angel Grove, the Rangers have to help him get home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shuttle Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Major Liam Kincaid and his universe belong to Roddenberry-Kirshner and Tribune, among others. The Rangers and their universe belong to Saban.
> 
> Set: MMPR: season one, after Green with Evil miniseries. E:FC: Season two, sometime after "Dimensions".
> 
> Author's notes: When someone issued a challenge to cross MMPR (the original series) with Earth: Final Conflict on an Earth: Final Conflict fanfiction bulletin board, I couldn't resist. This is the result, my first true E:FC/PR crossover. 
> 
> Due to the fact that I'd never written most of the first-season characters, and furthermore, hadn't seen first season for several years, some things might be a bit rough. It's written more as a typical MMPR episode than anything else. And, for longtime readers of my work, if the monster seems familiar: it's a repeat. I've used it before (in the story "The Song My Father Sang").

Electricity crackled over the not-so-sleepy town of Angel Grove. Inside their homes, apartments, and other places of residence, the people of Angel Grove slept. Indeed, the night was quiet inside a strange alien structure perched outside of the city, the inhabitants quietly maintaining the vigilance needed to keep the city and the world they inhabited safe.

It was then that the sirens went off within that same structure, alarming a small android with a red breastplate and a strangely-shaped head, with lights running about which would remind television viewers of the 1980's of a certain intelligent car named KITT. "Ay yi yi!" the small android shouted.

In a greenish tube above the android's head, a large, semi-distorted face manifested itself. "What is it, Alpha?" it asked.

"It's some kind of dimensional intrusion," Alpha, the small android squeaked.

"Indeed," the head spoke. "Alpha, please awaken the Rangers. I regret doing so, but I cannot let Rita take advantage of any interdimensional travelers."

* * *

And in six houses scattered throughout Angel Grove, six devices resembling watches without faces or hands beeped a loud melody, awaking six particular inhabitants. One by one, the Rangers grumbled and rolled out of bed, reaching for their communicators and putting them on before activating the function which would transport them to the Command Center and Zordon and Alpha.

"What's going on, Zordon?" Jason, the leader of the six, asked. "What's happened?"

Alpha was going back and forth frantically, working at controls that the Rangers would have barely comprehended prior to the assault of the Green Ranger a month before. "I've got it!" he announced to no one in particular.

"Rangers, there has been a dimensional intrusion in the desert outside Angel Grove. We are not certain as to the nature of this intrusion, but you must investigate it before Rita does."

"I've got the picture now," Alpha stated.

"Rangers, observe the viewing globe."

A picture formed in a sphere reminiscent of a very, very large crystal ball. In it, the Rangers could barely make out some kind of glowing lights attached to some kind of buglike vehicle. Something moved in there, and then the six could see the outline of a man.

"Rangers, we cannot risk your identities being revealed. Morph, and teleport to the site."

"Right!" Jason called, reaching behind his back to reveal a device bigger than his fist. "It's morphin' time!"

The six teenagers were enveloped in brightly coloured lights, which faded to reveal six figures in colourful uniforms wearing opaque helmets. Then they disappeared again into streaks of light, rising through the ceiling.

* * *

The sight that greeted the Rangers was undisturbed, except for the man scrabbling around. As their teleports faded, he turned around, grasping some kind of weapon. "Who are you?" he asked, in obvious surprise.

"We're the Power Rangers," Jason said, just as he'd said many time before.

"The Power Rangers?" the man responded, just as confused. "Where am I?"

"Earth, just outside a city named Angel Grove," Jason responded.

"Must have gotten tossed out the wrong dimension," the man mused. "I'm Major Liam Kincaid, Army Rangers. Am I in some sort of trouble?"

"It's not that you're in trouble, it's that you might find yourself in trouble," the newest member of the team, Tommy Oliver, spoke. "There are people who would love to have the thing behind you."

"Yeah, and you don't want to meet them, either," Kimberly Hart, another member spoke up. She looked at his forehead. "Hey, you're bleeding!"

"Why don't we take you to headquarters?" Jason asked. "We can patch you up, and you can answer some questions."

"So, you're not part of any sort of government?" Liam Kincaid asked in return. "You'll understand, I'm not from around here and intend to stay that way."

"No," Jason told him, as if to reassure him. "We're protectors of the Earth. If anything, we want to make sure you get home." After he spoke, he raised his communicator, now nestled securely under his glove and uniform. "Alpha. Can you transport Major Kincaid's shuttle, and then teleport us in?"

"Right away!" the android's voice came. "Hold on!"

The strange vehicle disappeared as the six Rangers and Major Kincaid watched. "Major Kincaid?" Jason asked the man politely.

"I might as well stay near my shuttle," the man told them. Beam me up, Scotty."

Zack snorted.

"Alpha, I'm teleporting Major Kincaid in with me," Jason said into his communicator. Turning to the other man, he said, "Major, if you'll hold on to me...."

Liam Kincaid did so and the seven disappeared into flashes of light.

* * *

It's back to the Command Center again, as six Rangers and one very confused shuttle pilot arrive, shifting from light back to solid forms. Zordon, the face, spoke. "Welcome, Major Kincaid."

Liam Kincaid did his best impression of Leonard Nimoy, raising an eyebrow in response. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "And you are?"

"I am Zordon, a being caught in an interdimensional trap. What you are seeing here is my window into this dimension." While he spoke, Alpha shuffled around Liam, waving a scanner generally in his direction. "Ay-yi-yi! Zordon, he is not from this dimension!"

"And you are?" Liam Kincaid asked the little android.

"I am Alpha-5."

"Pleased to meet you, Alpha-5," the Major replied, holding out his hand to shake Alpha's. After managing to shake it briefly, he turned up towards the projection that was Zordon. "So, you probably want to know what happened," he said. "Maybe if I do, you'll let me work on my shuttle so I can get back?"

"Certainly, Major," Zordon's voice boomed. "Alpha and I will assist you in any way possible."

"I can, too," the blue-suited Ranger, Billy, spoke up. "I am quite proficient in all manner of repairs."

"He'll give you a hand," Trini, the yellow-suited Ranger, translated.

"Thanks," Liam said, smiling. "Call me Liam, I've got nothing to hide."

"Rangers, I believe our visitor is harmless. You may demorph now," Zordon told the brightly-coloured group.

Six uniforms shimmered out of existence, leaving six teens in nightgowns and other sleeping items behind. "You're teenagers!" Liam exclaimed. "Are you superheroes?"

"Yeah, I guess we are," Jason said, holding out his hand for Liam to shake. As Liam was shaking it, the other five responded.

"I'm Kimberly Hart," Kimberly offered.

"Zack."

"Hi, I'm Tommy Oliver."

"Trini Kwan."

"Billy Cranston," came from the last one, the one who had offered to help Liam fix his shuttle.

"Nice to meet you all," Liam said, looking slightly dazed. "Since I think you should know what you're getting into, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm Major Liam Kincaid, as I said, and, in the dimension I come from, my employers are a group of extraterrestrials named the Taelons. I serve as a pilot of shuttles, such as the one that I was in, and I'm also the, well I'd guess you'd say a bodyguard, for a Taelon named Da'an, who is more or less the Taelon Ambassador for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This is the second time I've landed in another dimension, although that one was much closer to my own. I don't know how close dimensionally I am from you, but since none of you seem familiar with the appearance of my shuttle, I'll assume the Taelons haven't shown up here."

"I have never heard of a species named the Taelons," Zordon's voice boomed. "You may indeed be from a dimension far distant from ours."

"And since Zordon knows a lot about the universe," Jason added, "it's safe to say that he's right."

Kimberly had, at that point, gotten out what was clearly some kind of first-aid kit. "Hold still," she ordered, as she tended to his head. "Doesn't look too serious."

"Medical training?" Liam asked.

She smiled up at him. "Had a first-aid unit in P.E.."

"What date is it anyway?" Liam asked.

"November 12th... no, I guess it's really the 13th now," Tommy told him. "1993."

"What's wrong?" Kimberly asked, doing her best to seem maternal to the older man.

"Oh, I'm just not only in the wrong universe, but I seem to have missed my arrival time by seventeen years," Liam responded. "What time is it?"

"It is 12:48 AM Angel Grove time," Alpha said helpfully.

Jason yawned, as if on cue. "Major - Liam, I hope you'll excuse us, but Zordon woke us up in the middle of the night."

"That's okay," Liam told him, giving what was no doubt meant to be a reassuring smile. "I was going home for the evening too. Is there some place that I can sleep, and I'll start repairs in the morning?"

"I believe we can find a room and a cot here in the Command Center," Alpha said, running about randomly.

"And it may indeed be safer for you to remain inside and safe, Liam, until you are able to depart. Those who would conquer this world would find you a relatively easy target outside this building."

"Okay," Liam said. "I get the picture. Sweet dreams, everybody, I'll see you in the morning. Assuming you don't have school , of course."

The six teens almost simultaneously grinned. "On a Saturday, man? No way!" Zack exclaimed.

Morning found Liam taking a look at his damaged shuttle inside a spare repair bay. "Doesn't look too bad," he muttered, now able to see things in good light. Sudden footsteps almost made him bang his head against the wall.

"Good morning," Billy said. "I have come to assist you in the reenabling of your shuttle by effecting repairs upon it."

"Thanks," Liam said. "I don't know how much help you can be to me. I don't know Zordon's technology too well, but I'm guessing it's much different from my own. Fortunately, it looks like all I'm doing is fixing forty zillion little things, not having to replace any equipment. I'm not looking forward to explaining how it got in this condition when I get home."

The blue-clad teenager smiled. "My family becomes most vexed when I have mutilated one of their possessions in the course of my tinkering."

"Yeah, and that's your family, not my employers. At least this time I was on company time. May make things easier," Liam told him.

Billy blinked. "This has occurred before?" "Once. I was taking my friend for a joyride and someone sabotaged the shuttle. Fortunately, I think that this was a natural accident, not a deliberate attempt to get rid of me."

"Then we must repair your shuttle so that it may resume its voyage to your intended destination. Where may I assist you in the reconstruction?"

"Here," Liam said, handing him the tool he'd been using. "Here's what I want you to do...."

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Kimberly's voice echoed through the repair bay that held Liam's shuttle. "It's lunchtime. Wanna take a break?"

"Sounds good to me," Liam told her, leaving from the awkward position that he'd been in on one side of the shuttle and looking at the teen. "How about you, Billy?"

"I must depart temporarily as well," the other teenager told him. "If you will excuse me, I must partake of lunch with my father."

Billy headed out, paying no heed to his rumpled appearance. After he left, Kimberly turned to him. "Well, Mr. Pilot? How about you?"

"Well, I'd love to have a break. I assume you guys have food around here?"

She made a face. "Zordon has rations. They're not apetizing."

"Rations usually aren't," Liam told her in a sympathetic manner.

She smiled. "Hey, why don't I take you to the best spot in town? You and the rest of us can have lunch. You'll be protected, and that way, you'll get to see more of Angel Grove than the hills, desert, and the command center."

"Sounds good to me."

"Great! We'll ask Zordon," Kimberly said brightly. She guided him out of the room and back into the room where Zordon and Alpha were obviously working. "Zordon, can I take him out for lunch? He really should have some food in him, and all of us except for Billy were going to have lunch at Ernie's anyway."

"Very well, Kimberly," Zordon boomed. "However, I would suggest being vigilant."

"I know what could work!" Alpha said, coming into view. "Would this help?"

Alpha was holding out what looked like a watch with a grill over it instead of a watch face. "Alpha, that's a great idea!" Kimberly exclaimed. "Here, Liam, put this on your wrist. It'll enable you to call Alpha to teleport you out if there's trouble."

"Thanks," Liam said, smiling at the little android. "So, how about lunch?"

Kimberly took his arm. "Hold on," she said, and the two of them disappeared in pink and white streaks of light.

The light streaks that were Liam and Kimberly materialized in an alley. "So, how do I work this?" Liam asked, indicating his 'wristwatch'.

"That's simple," Kimberly indicated. She held up her own, which had pink stripes on it. "Press here and here and the same time, and you'll open the channel."

"So, what are these called, anyway?" Liam asked.

"Communicators," she responded. "That's what we've called them since Billy put the first set together. The versions that we have are actually what Billy call 'Mark II'. You're holding one of the ones Billy has as a spare, just in case one of ours gets damaged beyond repair. Our Communicators get damaged a lot when Rita's goons and monsters decide to go for us out of uniform."

"So, the bad guy... gal... is Rita," Liam stated thoughtfully, as if trying to put facts together.

"Rita Repulsa. Right. And she has a bunch of henchmen, but only Goldar's a big threat. The rest of them are either no good at fighting, or don't fight at all. There's apparently this creature named Finster which we never see. He's Rita's monster-maker, but he doesn't fight himself."

"At least yours are out and out evil," Liam said, after a few moments of silence. "The Taelons... well, Da'an's pretty good, but none of them hold up to their PR. Public Relations, I mean."

Kimberly shrugged. "Nobody's perfect. Hey, the general public thinks we're extraterrestrials."

Liam smiled at that as they rounded a corner. Up ahead, someone waved. Zack. "Hey girl, Liam! What took you slowpokes so long?"

"Had to show Liam the sights," Kimberly called back, as the two caught up at a leisurely pace to him. Zack just grinned as the three of them walked up the sidewalk to the entrance.

Inside, there was a small cafe, which was obviously populated by the teenage residents of Angel Grove, and a small multi-purpose area, which was also populated by those same residents. Kimberly led Liam up to the counter. "Hey, Ernie!"

A rotund man came from the other side of the counter. "Hi, Kim. Who's your friend?"

"This is Liam Kincaid. He's a friend of the family from out of town, and I promised to show him Angel Grove."

"Nice to meet you, Liam," Ernie said, holding his hand out. Liam shook it thoroughly. "Care for anything to drink? To eat?"

"His shakes are to die for, Liam," Kimberly told him. "How about two hamburgers, two chocolate shakes, Ernie?"

"Comin' right up, Kim. Enjoy your stay in Angel Grove, Liam," Ernie called, as he bustled over to something behind the counter.

"Nice guy," Liam said. Kimberly smiled.

"Yeah, he is. A big heart to go with his big body," she said. "Wanna join the others at the table while I pay for our lunches?"

"Sure," Liam said, heading towards the table that the other four had commandeered.

Kim was shortly back with their lunches, and he and she joined the others. "Tommy and I usually work out here on Saturday afternoons," Jason explained. "And then all of us go out and practice."

"Of course," Kimberly said with a smile, "We make exceptions for visitors from other times and places."

"Thanks," Liam told her, looking relieved.

The teens exchanged lighthearted banter before Tommy and Jason went to the men's room and emerged, clad in light sweatclothes. They took their place on the padded floor, and after a few warmup exercises, started sparring with each other. Liam and the others, as well as some of the other residents of the Juice Bar, stopped in whatever they were doing to watch. "They're good," Liam murmured.

Beside him, Kim smiled. "Yeah, they are. And they've been training off each other for the past month. None of us were the perfect match for Jason until Tommy arrived, and now they look like they've been sparring partners forever."

The two sparred for quite a few minutes more, bowed to each other, and went off towards the men's room, to once again change into street clothes. The others made room for them at the table. "So, Liam, are you gonna go back at work on your shuttle now?" Tommy asked.

"I'd better," Liam answered, sounding regretful. "I wish I could see more of Angel Grove."

"Hey, Billy can't have been done with lunch with his Dad yet. Do you want to see a little bit more of the city before you go back?" Kimberly asked.

"Given that Angel Grove doesn't exist in my universe, I'd love to see it," Liam responded.

"Great!" Jason said. "Kim, you and Liam can go and see a little more of our city. I wish I could, but I do have Ms. Appleby's English project to finish, and I'd like to finish it early."

"Oh, man!" Tommy exclaimed. "I totally forgot about that. I guess I'm going to be doing that too."

The other four teenagers shared grins at his statement. "Okay, Trini, Zack?"

"Sorry, Kim, I want to get some practice in before my class. Hey, Liam, tell Kim to take you past my Hip-Hop-Kido class. You thought Tommy's and Jase's moves were great? You should see mine!"

"Okay, Zack," Kimberly told him, grinning even wider. "I'll try to get him over there. Trini?"

The last member of their team looked apologetic. "Sorry, Kim. Remember, Uncle Howard is in town."

"Oh, yeah, I totally forgot," Kim told her. "Tell him hi for me."

"I will."

"I guess it's just you and me then," Liam said, looking at Kimberly.

"Don't worry. Kim'll show you everything you wanted to ever see of Angel Grove and have you back in time to finish up your repairs," Zack promised. "Won't you, girl?"

"I will," Kimberly promised, with a gleam in her eye.

The other teenagers soon dispersed, leaving Kimberly and Liam alone. "I guess we should get started so that I can get back before Zordon starts to worry," Liam said.

The teenager shrugged. "It won't take too long. You've seen the Juice bar, I can drive you past most of the other places, and then we'll have a little time for Zack to show off his own unique style."

"Hip-Hop-Kido?"

"Martial arts combined with dancing," Kimberly explained as they headed towards her car.

* * *

A while later, Kimberly was parking her car on the outskirts of Angel Grove park. "So, all of you have some sort of fighting skills. Jason, Tommy, Billy, and Trini are traditionalists, while Zack likes to dance while fighting. How about you?" Liam asked.

"I'm a gymnast," Kim told him. As they got out, she continued to explain. "While I know enough about fighting styles, my strength is in my moves. I tend to incorporate a more acrobatic style of fighting than the others do."

"Must be hard, training and nobody knows what you're training for," Liam mused as they started to walk.

"Not really," Kimberly shrugged. "I mean, we have each other. It's not like we can tell anybody else - one of Zordon's rules that we have to follow - so we depend on each other a lot."

"Does the secrecy bother you?"

"Sometimes," she answered. "I mean, as I said we depend on each other a lot. It would be easier if we didn't have to slip out of classes and other things we have responsibility for, but I don't really want to be famous. If I become famous, it's because I excelled in something, like gymnastics, not because I'm the Pink Power Ranger."

Liam nodded. "I wouldn't want that either, if I was more interested in saving the world than I was in fame. You've got a good head on your shoulders, Kimberly."

"Thanks," she responded. "How about you? What's it like, being a bodyguard?"

"Well, Da'an - that's my boss - and I get along pretty well, which is good. Mostly, I just make sure he's safe. We've got some really anti-Taelon factions out there, like Jonathan Doors' Liberation. They're actually one of the milder groups, but because Doors was the head of a multinational company, they're pretty high-profile. And I'd like to think that I help Da'an understand humankind a bit more, although I feel like an infant compared to him."

"How old is he? He?"

"I don't know, and 'he' is what we use, by courtesy. Taelons are energy beings and don't have sex as we humans understand it."

"Whoa. So, they're balls of light, or something?"

Liam grinned. "Actually, most of the time they have a form which resembles a pale bald human with large ears in a funny outfit."

"Ew. Although not as 'ew' as some of Rita's monsters."

"They're not too bad looking, once you get used to them," Liam said, grinning wider.

There was a commotion, a gust of wind behind them, and then a rough, low voice spoke. "Pink Ranger! You have something I want."

The speaker was a ugly blue monster with red eyes holding a goldish sword in its hand, covered in golden armor. It was surrounded by greyish things, slightly wrinkled in the face, in grey bodysuits, and a thing that resembled a large plank with nails sticking out. "Go away, Goldar," Kimberly growled. "Liam, get behind me."

Liam did as he was told, just as the creature, Goldar, growled an order to the plank. "Pilorator! Capture the human."

"Uh oh," Liam muttered as he frantically tried to activate the communicator, Kimberly taking a defensive stance in front of him. The grey things, the plank, and the blue thing charged towards them, and soon the two were caught up in fighting, Liam narrowly avoiding the beam the plank shot at him and the grey things trying to grasp his arms. Just then, five beams of light landed in the area, forming into the rest of Kimberly's team. "Kim!" Tommy shouted.

"They're after Liam!" Kimberly shouted.

"Right!" Tommy responded, coming to Liam's aid and blocking the plank. "Oh no you don't! "

And then Liam disappeared in a dash of white light.

* * *

Liam reappeared in the Command Center, where a siren screeched its warning. He took a step forward, as if he'd been caught in mid-step during the fight. "Major Kincaid," Zordon boomed. "I am glad you are safe."

"I'm glad I'm safe too," Liam told the interdimensional being. "But Kimberly and the others... how are they?"

"Observe the viewing globe," Zordon told him as the large crystal ball came alight, displaying the teens in their uniforms. Most of the grey beings were gradually disappearing off, leaving the blue thing, Goldar, and the plank. As Liam watched, Goldar disappeared, just before something appeared beside the fallen plank and it grew to giant size. "Wow," Liam breathed.

Soon, a large, multicoloured robot appeared and started fighting the overgrown plank. After several rounds of battle, the robot defeated the plank, which exploded. The robot then separated into five component parts and then disappeared. Shortly after, the teenagers, the Rangers, reappeared in the main room of the Command Center and demorphed. They were clearly tired but happy. "Rangers, you have done a good job."

"Think Rita's learned her lesson for today?" Zack asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"You have to ask?" Kimberly shot at him, although she was grinning widely as well. Turning to Liam, she asked, "You're okay?"

"Yeah. I'll just have to remind myself that there are people who have more strenuous jobs than mine," Liam told her. "I think I'll be glad to go back to my plain old boring job."

"Speaking of such, do you still require assistance?" Billy asked.

Liam nodded. "Sure. More hands make quicker work, my grandma used to say. Come along, let's see if we can get her up and running."

* * *

Finally, Liam's shuttle was repaired, and Liam was reviewing data, Kim sitting in one of the passenger seats behind him, staring at a picture of Da'an that was floating in the air. "I've never seen anything like this. Not this shuttle, the technology, the Taelons...."

Liam made some adjustment to the on-screen controls on the transparent windshield. "No offence to my employers, but I hope you never do. The Taelons are wonderful beings, but they still have a few things to learn about humanity. Of course, we have a few things to learn from them."

Kimberly appeared to think over his comments for a few moments, and then looked at him again. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Well, I can't fix the shuttle's equivalent to the 'black box', but then if I don't make it back it's useless anyway. I had Alpha run through some data for me, and I think I can reproduce the 'window' which made me come out in your world instead of mine. It won't be as difficult as the last time I got stuck in an alternate universe, anyway."

The rest of the group, including the temporarily-absent Billy, filed into the repair bay. Liam got up and deactivated the windshield so that he could greet the group, and so that Kimberly could leave the shuttle. He reached out to Jason and shook hands. "Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Jason said as he moved out of the way for the others to shake hands with the traveler, as well as for Kimberly to give Liam a hug. "Just keep out of trouble, okay?"

Liam smiled widely. "I'll try," he said. "I'll miss you guys."

"We'll miss you too," Kimberly told him.

He began to unlatch the Communicator from his wrist, but Jason stopped him. "Keep it, man."

Zordon's voice boomed out of a hidden speaker. "Major Kincaid, are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready. Just get the kids out of here and beam me up."

The six soon left, while Liam took his place within his shuttle, which vanished in a very large streak of white light.

* * *

In the desert, a vaguely insect-like machine appeared, unseen except for six teens, an android, and an interdimensional being watching through a large crystal ball. The shuttle's lights lit up, and it rose into the sky, flying away until it was swallowed up by a ring of light.

And with that, six teens turned away. "I hope he arrives safely," Kimberly said softly. Tommy placed a hand on her shoulder as if to reassure her.

"I'm sure he will, Kim," Tommy said. "I'm sure he will."


End file.
